From Walt Disney Family Foundation Films, "Walt & El Grupo" is a documentary chronicling a 1941 South American expedition, led by Walt Disney and a team of animators, affectionately dubbed "El Grupo."
Featuring rare candid accounts from the studio’s head and his artists, the documentary illustrates the impact the trip had on American and global culture, and brings new perspective to the Disney heritage that continues to inspire the world.
In 1941, when the world’s attention was fixed on the growing war, Walt Disney was called upon by the U.S. government to use a film research trip as a way of generating goodwill in South America, a continent the Roosevelt administration was wary of being influenced by fascism and the Nazis. Walt personally led the expedition, absorbing the culture, befriending local artists and ultimately leading to the production of the classic films Saludos Amigos, and The Three Caballeros.
The film is directed by Theodore Thomas, whose father Frank Thomas was one of the “El Grupo” animators that accompanied Walt on the trip. Rich bonus features include 16mm Kodachrome footage intended as reference material, interviews with family members and historians, as well as discussions of the personal and political importance of the artists’ contributions. Saludos Amigos, one of the films inspired by the group’s trip is also included.
Each DVD is packaged with an historic timeline created by the filmmakers, that parallels key events occurring during World War II, and the development of The Walt Disney Studios from 1937 through 1942.
The DVD debuts today, November 30, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.